Meet Jessie

Hi! I’mjessie. Thanks for stopping by.

After studying cinematic artsfor four years at the #1 film school in the world (USC whatup #fighton) I realized that aCrohn’s Disease diagnosisand shift to whole food plant based veganism was less of a diversion off of my one-track entertainment road towards Hollywood and more of a blossoming fork in the road toward a fresh path (yes, fresh, I can smell the basil from here). I didn’t need to get myself healthy enough to allow me to get back on the map leading me to ‘the industry’, I wanted to be a sponge and absorb my experiences, leading me naturally toward new possibilities.

Living in the city of Santa Monica but nostalgic for my Northern New Jersey roots (NJ diners and exit 63 on the Parkway, Hi LBI), watching, talking about, listening, and dissecting film and tv and music, going into downward dog or triangle pose in the middle of conversations every time I get anxious, feeling bitter that Seinfeld and Friends are from made up worlds of friend groups who didn’t stare at their phones while hanging out at Central Perk or Monk’s Cafe, obsessing over the clouds, the air, or the chance to leave my energy in a new place around the world. Come join me as I recreate and romanticize moments of my childhood and favorite film moments through plant-based food, try to learn how to gardenand grow my own food, travel to new places and find plant-based food in every city, share someinterviewsand knowledge from plant-based and social entrepreneurship superstars, and hopefully gain some wisdomalong the way. Getting lost isn’t so bad when you’re with the right people and got the right food, right? So come with me, and let’s eat!

Real stuff:

Vegan for?

Every reason you could possibly imagine. I went vegan for health reasonsbut had previously started reducing in high school. After watching Forks Over Knives, my mom became vegan my senior year and I went pescetarian so my mom wouldn’t feel so alone in a family that wasn’t supporting her choice. I wasn’t perfect, but I drastically reduced my meat intake. In college I continued for the most part (though breaking it occasionally as I really had no foundation to why I was doing what I was doing). After getting diagnosed with Crohn’s, I eventually realized how sick dairy made me and cut that out. I still ate fish for almost a year and then in September 2015 I went plantbased (still only concerned with my health). Once I cut out processed foods (and specifically, oils) in late December 2015, my health drastically improved and I moved out of what I call my ‘survival mode’, where I was able to think about more than just making it through the day. Ethical veganism fit in with my morals and beliefs and I slowly started to become more educated on it, though it took me many months to understand why my choices mattered for more than just my health. Now, I’d say I’m an ethical and conscious vegan: I care about the environment, about animal welfare, about health for everyone and actively standing against mis-education and mis-information that only profits businesses at the expense of society’s health (getting people addicted to ‘food’ or products where they in turn support industries they wouldn’t morally stand with because they feel like they need your product; not cool).

Future Plans?

Let’s be real. Who the hell knows. I went from working at a film production company, to preparing a Fulbright proposal, to studying for the GRE to get my Masters of Public Health, to becoming a wellness coach, and a few more things in-between, to now working a full time job. I’m passionate about getting plant-based food into hospitals, education systems, and prisons (and corporations) on a macro level. On a micro level, I want to work in patient advocacy, helping patients who have been prescribed plant-based diets for health conditions learn how to cook and take care of themselves. I also love helping friends and friends of friends who are interested in changing their diet and lifestyle, with no health condition. At some point, I see myself working with doctors and hospitals to help make their practices more integrative, plant based, and sustainable. I also see myself going back to get my PhD in Education and New Media learning, in order to develop better health curriculums that address 1) nutrition and plant-based eating 2) doctor- patient communication and how to take care of and advocate for yourself, sick parents and siblings 3) self-love, healthy relationship building, boundaries, self-esteem and how to like yourself (at the very minimum) using the new media of the future (as I don’t see people learning traditionally in classrooms the way we have been). And, I’d love to consult for different film and television programs on better health content as I know media makes a huge difference as well. But right now, I’m more focusing on establishing a work-life balance, deepening my relationships with my close friends, hosting Shabbats and bringing good people together, and taking care of myself and getting back into remission. I’m currently also diving deep into Kabbalah.

Other things I’d like to do:

Write a book or two, travel the world and practice yoga during sunset over many oceans and seas, fall in love with more people, places, and experiences.